Dreams Under Construction: A Poetic Report on Yangon’s Urban Metamorphosis

Abstract

Yangon’s recent urban metamorphosis was, and is still, illustrated throughout the city by computergenerated images set on buildingsite fences. This photo essay1 started as a record of these fascinating posters. They advertise a mesmerizing future, one that represents the highest standards of a modern lifestyle. The people waiting for the bus in front of them or simply walking along seem to be part of an on going play, that of their ‘dreams under construction,’ as if Yangon was reimagining itself in a sudden opening to globalization. At the same time, this construction is not yet done. The city at a human scale is still almost as rural as it was.